ROSCOSMOS - Russian Vehicles patch.
July 26, 2021
In accordance with the flight program of the Russian segment of the International Space Station, today, July 26, 2021, the bundle undocked from the Progress MS-16 transport cargo vehicle and the Pirs docking module-module from the ISS. Now the ship and the module are in autonomous flight and are preparing to enter the Earth's atmosphere.
Upon completion of operations to prepare for undocking at 13:53 Moscow time, specialists at the Mission Control Center of TsNIIMash (part of the Roskosmos State Corporation) issued a command to undock the spacecraft, then, according to the standard program of divergence of objects, a bundle from the Progress MS-16 cargo vehicle "And the Pirs module departed from the nadir port of the Zvezda module of the ISS Russian segment at 13:55:33 Moscow time. After being diverted to a safe distance from the station, the specialists of the Main Operational Control Group (RSC Energia, part of Roskosmos) began the controlled descent of the spacecraft and the module from near-earth orbit.
According to the calculations of the station's ballistic support service, the engines of the Progress MS-16 spacecraft will be switched on at 17:01 Moscow time and, having worked out the prescribed braking impulse of 120 m / s, will transfer the spacecraft to the descent to the planet. As expected, at 17:51 Moscow time, non-combustible structural elements of the ship and the module will fall in the calculated zone of the non-navigable region of the Pacific Ocean. The estimated area of the fall of unburned ship fragments is 3,630 km from the city of Wellington and 5,870 km from the city of Santiago.
The state corporation "Roscosmos" has completed all the necessary procedures to establish this area as temporarily dangerous for navigation by sea and aircraft.
The Pirs module was used as a docking bay for Russian ships, both manned by Soyuz and cargo Progress. In addition, until November 2020, the cosmonauts made spacewalks from Pirs under the Russian ISS program, and in November 2020 and June this year, Russian crew members used the neighboring Poisk module for these purposes. Now its place will be taken by the multipurpose laboratory module "Science", which was successfully launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on July 21, 2021 and is on its way to the International Space Station.
Pirs module and Progress MS-16 spacecraft completed flight
On Monday, July 26, 2021, at 13:55:33 Moscow time, a bundle from the docking compartment of the Pirs module and the Progress MS-16 transport cargo vehicle undocked from the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station. After its withdrawal to a safe distance from the ISS, the specialists of the Main Operational Control Team of the Russian Segment of the ISS (RSC Energia, part of the State Corporation Roscosmos) began controlled deorbiting.
In accordance with the program embedded in the on-board computer of the "truck" on commands from the Flight Control Center of TsNIIMash (part of Roskosmos), at 17:01 Moscow time, the main engine was turned on for braking. After working for 17.5 minutes, he gave him a braking impulse of 120 m / s. At 17:42 Moscow time, the bundle of the spacecraft and the module entered the dense layers of the Earth's atmosphere, after another 10 minutes, the fireproof elements were flooded into the "cemetery of spaceships" in the non-navigable part of the Pacific Ocean - 3.6 thousand km from the city of Wellington and 5, 8 thousand km from the city of Santiago.
The Pirs module was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the International Space Station on September 15, 2001. It was launched into low-earth orbit using the Soyuz-U launch vehicle and the Progress M-SO1 specialized transport cargo module. On September 17, it was successfully docked to the nadir port of the Zvezda service module of the ISS Russian Segment.
For 20 years of operation, it was used as a docking bay for spacecraft - both Russian manned and cargo ones: Soyuz and Progress, respectively. Until November 2020, cosmonauts made spacewalks from Pirs, and in November 2020 and June 2021, Russian crew members used Poisk for these purposes. Earlier, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov prepared the Russian module for undocking: part of the work was carried out as part of extravehicular activities, and part as part of work on board the station.
Undocking the Pirs module from the International Space Station
"Pirs" became the first module of the station, which was undocked from it. This operation made it possible to free the docking port of the Zvezda service module of the ISS Russian segment to receive the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, which was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on July 21, 2021. Its docking is currently scheduled for July 29th.
The Progress MS-16 transport cargo vehicle was launched on February 15, 2021. On February 17, it was docked to the Pirs module of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Then the space "truck" delivered cargoes with a total mass of more than 2.5 tons to the ISS, necessary to maintain its flight in a manned mode and implement the program of scientific and applied research on board. At the end of his mission, he completed the main task - undocked and took with him the Pirs docking module.
Related articles:
Progress 77 and Pirs Undocked from Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/progress-77-and-pirs-undocked-from.html
ISS - Undocking and flooding of the Pirs module is scheduled for July 26
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/iss-undocking-and-flooding-of-pirs.html
European Robotic Arm is launched into space
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/european-robotic-arm-is-launched-into.html
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Relaese: https://www.roscosmos.ru/31999/
ROSCOSMOS Press Relaese: https://www.roscosmos.ru/32001/
TsNIIMash: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/cniimash/
MCC: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/cup/
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/mks/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/NASA/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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